--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: no calamity greater than to be…" description: "\"“no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot;”\" — Lao Tzu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/lao-tzu-624_calamity_no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-disconten_796502.jpg" --- # no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot; ![“no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot;” quote by Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/lao-tzu-624_calamity_no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-disconten_796502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/lao-tzu-624_calamity_no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-disconten_796502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/lao-tzu-624_calamity_no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-disconten_796502.jpg) > ““no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot;”” [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Content content warns that being discontent with one’s circumstances is a greater misfortune than any external calamity. **In simple terms:** Being unhappy with what you have is the worst disaster. Key Takeaway Cultivate gratitude and acceptance. Themes contentment philosophy well‑being Mood calm thoughtful philosophical Type quote wisdom inspirational When to use this quote - practice gratitude journaling - accept circumstances - focus on personal growth Key Concepts inner peace mindfulness stoicism Questions to Reflect On - What does contentment mean to you? - How can you find peace amid challenges? A Different Perspective Contentment may be hard when faced with genuine hardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Calamity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calamity/) ## Related quotes > [ . . . \[R\]estlessness usually stems from pride and from being discontented with one's lot in life. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/r-estlessness-usually-stems-from-pride-and-from-being-discontented/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [There is no calamity greater than lightly engaging in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-calamity-greater-than-lightly-engaging-in-war/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no calamity greater than lavish desires. There is no greater guilt than discontent. And there is no greater disaster than greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/there-is-no-calamity-greater-than-lavish-desires-there-is-no-greater/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“if I had not the body, what great calamity could come to me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-i-had-not-the-body-what-great-calamity-could-come-to-me/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“What makes me liable to great calamity is my having the body (which I call myself); if I had not the body, what great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/what-makes-me-liable-to-great-calamity-is-my-having-the-body-which-i/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [No disaster is worse than being discontented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/no-disaster-is-worse-than-being-discontented/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“Such was the way of the discontented. No proof, no explanation or reason would ever be enough to disabuse them of tightly held, deeply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-golden/such-was-the-way-of-the-discontented-no-proof-no-explanation-or/) [Christie Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-golden/) > [I am discontented because I have not these things which God never yet promised me, and therefore I sin much against the Gospel, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-burroughs/i-am-discontented-because-i-have-not-these-things-which-god-never-yet/) [Jeremiah Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-burroughs/) > [We are never more discontented with others than when we are discontented with ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-frederic-amiel/we-are-never-more-discontented-with-others-than-when-we-are/) [Henri Frederic Amiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-frederic-amiel/) > [I never saw a discontented tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/i-never-saw-a-discontented-tree/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [“When a man is discontented with himself, it has one advantage however, that it puts him into an excellent frame of mind for making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-sterne/when-a-man-is-discontented-with-himself-it-has-one-advantage-however/) Lawrence Sterne > [Of course advertising creates wants. Of course it makes people discontented, dissatisfied. Satisfaction with things as they are would defeat the American Dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernice-fitz-gibbon/of-course-advertising-creates-wants-of-course-it-makes-people/) [Bernice Fitz-Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernice-fitz-gibbon/) > [“I believed in the existence of other and more vivid kinds of goodness, and what I believed in I wished to behold. Who blames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-believed-in-the-existence-of-other-and-more-vivid-kinds-of-goodness/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [The discontented man finds no easy chair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-discontented-man-finds-no-easy-chair/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Every time I bestow a vacant office I make a hundred discontented persons and one ingrate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-xiv/every-time-i-bestow-a-vacant-office-i-make-a-hundred-discontented/) [Louis XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-xiv/) ## More by Lao Tzu > [“This is how they are able to continue and endure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/this-is-how-they-are-able-to-continue-and-endure/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Gravity is the root of lightness;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/gravity-is-the-root-of-lightness/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Therefore the Tao is great;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/therefore-the-tao-is-great/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Not seeking, not expecting, she is present, and can welcome all things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/not-seeking-not-expecting-she-is-present-and-can-welcome-all-things/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“What all men fear is indeed to be feared;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/what-all-men-fear-is-indeed-to-be-feared/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Just remain in the center; watching. And then forget that you are there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/just-remain-in-the-center-watching-and-then-forget-that-you-are-there/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“This is what is called 'The mysterious Quality' (of the Tao).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/this-is-what-is-called-the-mysterious-quality-of-the-tao/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“If you show yourself, you will not be seen. If you affirm yourself, you will not shine. If you boast, you will have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-you-show-yourself-you-will-not-be-seen-if-you-affirm-yourself-you/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“The thirty spokes unite in the one nave; but it is on the empty space (for the axle), that the use of the wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/the-thirty-spokes-unite-in-the-one-nave-but-it-is-on-the-empty-space/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“To know and yet (think) we do not know is the highest (attainment); not to know (and yet think) we do know is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/to-know-and-yet-think-we-do-not-know-is-the-highest-attainment-not-to/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/he-who-knows-other-men-is-discerning-he-who-knows-himself-is/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“If you are depressed, you are living in the past; if you are anxious, you are living in the present; if you are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/if-you-are-depressed-you-are-living-in-the-past-if-you-are-anxious/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“Simplicity without a name Is free from all external aim. With no desire, at rest and still, All things go right as of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/simplicity-without-a-name-is-free-from-all-external-aim-with-no/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“When gold and jade fill the hall, their possessor cannot keep them safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/when-gold-and-jade-fill-the-hall-their-possessor-cannot-keep-them-safe/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) > [“We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/we-listen-to-it-and-we-do-not-hear-it-and-we-name-it-the-inaudible/) [Lao Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) [Explore all 434 Lao Tzu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/) ## More Calamity quotes > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [When men are unhappy, they do not imagine they can ever cease to be so; and when some calamity has fallen on them, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/when-men-are-unhappy-they-do-not-imagine-they-can-ever-cease-to-be-so/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [In spite of calamity, He still has a plan for me, And it’s working for my good, And it’s building my testimony...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-sapp/in-spite-of-calamity-he-still-has-a-plan-for-me-and-it-s-working-for/) [Marvin Sapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-sapp/) > [Calamity, war, famine, plague, death, adversity, disease, injury do not necessarily produce repentance. We may become better in a calamity but it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/calamity-war-famine-plague-death-adversity-disease-injury-do-not/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I doubt if I have made the best use of all my calamities. Soft, amiable natures they would have refined to saintliness; of strong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-doubt-if-i-have-made-the-best-use-of-all-my-calamities-soft-amiable/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Drudgery, calamity, exasperation, want, are instructors in eloquence and wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/drudgery-calamity-exasperation-want-are-instructors-in-eloquence-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It is the common calamity of old age to lose whatever might have rendered it desirable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/it-is-the-common-calamity-of-old-age-to-lose-whatever-might-have/) [Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/) > [The liberty of the press is a blessing when we are inclined to write against others, and a calamity when we find ourselves overborne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-liberty-of-the-press-is-a-blessing-when-we-are-inclined-to-write/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [There is a big lesson in experiencing uncertainty and calamity with a sober focus - the most chaotic moments are the ones from which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-stiles/there-is-a-big-lesson-in-experiencing-uncertainty-and-calamity-with-a/) [Tara Stiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-stiles/) > [The worst calamity: 'To have eyes and fail to see.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-worst-calamity-to-have-eyes-and-fail-to-see/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Such exceptional suffering and calamity, then, affecting the hero, and-we must now add-generally extending far and wide beyond him, so as to make the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-bradley/such-exceptional-suffering-and-calamity-then-affecting-the-hero-and/) [A. C. Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-bradley/) > [When a man has calamity upon calamity the world generally concludes that he must be a very wicked man to deserve them. Perhaps the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-barr/when-a-man-has-calamity-upon-calamity-the-world-generally-concludes/) [Amelia Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-barr/) > [I can remember certain Manchester United defeats the way most people remember family bereavements or great political events. The four-nil drubbing by Barcelona, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-dunne/i-can-remember-certain-manchester-united-defeats-the-way-most-people/) Tom Dunne [Browse all 442 Calamity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calamity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot;”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lao Tzu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-discontented-with-one-s-lot/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Calamity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-discontented-with-one-s-lot/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/lao-tzu-624_calamity_no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-disconten_796502.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/lao-tzu-624_calamity_no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-disconten_796502.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a47/lao-tzu-624_calamity_no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-disconten_796502.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“no calamity greater than to be discontented with one's lot;” — Lao Tzu", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Lao Tzu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lao-tzu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“no calamity greater than to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-discontented-with-one-s-lot/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lao-tzu/no-calamity-greater-than-to-be-discontented-with-one-s-lot/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```